Creation began on 07-07-20

Creation ended on 04-29-21

Angel Links

Live Free, Fly Free: What is thy desire?

Something about this cargo transportation didn't sit well for Valeria as Angel Links provided security for the Lunar Mercy to Heifong X. It wasn't the fact that it was packed to capacity with precious metals and medical supplies for the continued construction of the terraforming installation, but the guy that was piloting the cargo ship to Kano. There was just something about him that seemed…unusual. She had done her research on him and he had discovered the Heifong System had a hidden twelfth planet that other space explorers hadn't noticed, and was able to claim it for himself, building a company that could build new structures for other companies that could withstand earthquakes and explosions…going back almost forty years now.

"Suspicious of our client?" Meifon asked her.

"Yeah," she answered. "I don't think he's dirty or anything, but there is something about him that is…not what I would expect from a wealthy industrialist that makes his living with the metals and minerals of an uninhabited planet in the Heifong System."

"You mean, Heifong XII is completely uninhabited?" Duuz questioned.

"It has an atmosphere, but its oceans and soils are unsuited for the sustaining of any organism not indigenous to the planet. And there were no traces of anything living there before it was discovered. There were a few fossils of animals that used to reside there, but they were probably dead thousands of years ago when the climate shifted from supporting life to no longer supporting it properly."

"How'd he manage to find such a planet rich with resources and make his living with them?"

"Some say he just got lucky."

The travel toward their destination continued without much trouble. There were no signs of external threats, space pirates lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to attack and ransack the cargo ship, or some other type of disaster-in-waiting. The transport was moving slowly but swiftly through the vastness of space.

"What is thy desire?" The client, Mr. Lamia, uttered as he let his thoughts wander.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lamia?" Meifon asked him.

"Oh, it's just a question I grew up hearing a couple of years back. When you reach your destination from one place in space to another place in space, usually a voice will manifest in the back of your head and ask you what it is that you desire. I used to hear stories about a place that is near-impossible to get to, where the total sum of universal knowledge and understanding is collected, outlasting solar systems and galaxies. It was called the Galactic Leyline, and it possessed the ability to fulfill the desires of those that managed to find it before relocating itself to a new area in the vastness of space."

"I think I heard of that story before," Valeria spoke. "There was a man that managed to find it a few years ago, but there was some suspicion that it was the ship he found and the crew he had that enabled him to find it…but he didn't do much with it afterwards. I think his name was…Gene Starwind."

"Yeah, that's him. He was the owner of a grappler ship called the Outlaw Star. ETA between here and Kano is ten minutes now." Mister Lamia expressed, and in front of the Lunar Mercy and Angel Links was a large moon covered in a light purple haze. "Ah, terraforming moons is a step down from terraforming planets."

"Why is that?" Meifon asked him.

"Because moons are smaller and rarely have an atmosphere. The ones that do take a considerable amount of effort to manipulate into creating an alternate atmosphere suitable for creatures not indigenous to it. But Kano is a goal to a moon where people can live and prosper."

"Sounds like a nice goal."

"Thank you."

-x-

The atmospheric processing station on Kano resembled a small city the size of an island, with small towers releasing various gases into the air. There was a large landing area nearby where the Lunar Mercy and Angel Links docked and began unloading the cargo. The crew of Angel Links placed on environmental suits and were invited to look around the facility.

"It almost does look like a place you can live in, Mr. Lamia," Meifon expressed to her client.

"Thank you, Ms. Li," he responded, watching as the work crew at the facility began transferring the cargo into the main processing plant. "I owe you and Angel Links a great debt for making sure this cargo got here in a timely manner."

"Oh, it's fine, really. This is what we do. There's no need for monetary pay."

"But what if I chose not to pay in money? What if I desired to pay Angel Links in another fashion that isn't recognized as monetary payment?"

"That…would be appreciated."

"Thank you. I probably sound foolish or ridiculous saying so, but what is thy desire, Meifon Li?"

-x-

Kosei would've believed such a desire couldn't be made into a reality, but he knew better now. There were some things that were better off left unspoken or undiscovered of answers. His only desire, based on his sense of guilt and personal feelings for what happened, was for Jesia Garland to be brought back. It didn't seem like a selfish desire, as he felt responsible for her death, but the fact that he desired her to return to life more so she can be happy to live out her life however she chose, the client that they had ensured the safe transportation of precious cargo to the Kano moon had ensured that his desire was in fact a selfless one.

"Kosei?" He heard Jesia's voice behind him as he looked at the town-like setting that was the terraforming atmospheric processing facility. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he answered back, seeing how she was exactly as she had been that day. "I'm okay now. How about you?"

"Never better," she responded.

-x-

It was a curious wonder that their client was acting as some sort of miracle worker, paying members of the Links Group what their hearts desire in place of monetary payment. This led Duuz and Valeria to suspect that he was affiliated with this Brother Correction in some way. Or better yet…Mr. Lamia was Brother Correction, disguised as a completely different identity to enact his miracles to people.

"If he is, why would he need to do any of this?" Duuz questioned Valeria as they stood near one of the atmospheric processors. "It makes no sense."

"Why does he do anything?" Valeria responded. "He just punishes people that the law can't touch most of the time and gives second chances to people. He might not be a god, but he is the closest thing to one, and who are we to argue?"

"I've heard crazier things than that," they both heard Mr. Lamia as he walked from behind a corner. "Much crazier things."

They didn't say anything to him, but got the impression that he was aware of their suspicions.

"And such a question is true: Why does Brother Correction do anything that he does? More often than so, he does what he does because he sees things that don't have to be. Other times, he feels that there are people that have one chance, only one chance, to turn away from the darkness they face in front of them…but need help to do so. And sometimes, just sometimes, he sees the fate that good people have been dealt…and does his best to set the wrongs right."

"So, then…you believe in the myths and legends of this person?" Duuz questioned.

"He's only a myth or legend…if he's been ignored by the masses. To some, he isn't either a fairytale or a myth. To those that may have met him in the past, he is as real as the cosmos and stars are. And the reasons vary from person to person."

"But," said Valeria to him, "have you met him before…or are you him?"

Mister Lamia chuckled as he leaned onto the safety railing and looked up at the processor.

"I am him," he uttered, "but I am not him at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Duuz questioned.

"Brother Correction learned over time not only to achieve feats long believed to be impossible for anyone else to achieve, but he learned to create alternate identities to avoid being directly involved in any situations that needed his intervention, and these identities needed to be as real as the people he wanted to help, save or punish, depending on the circumstances they were in. He needed these identities to be filled with life, with passion, conviction, shame, disgrace, hope and on. He needed people he hid himself behind to be like the people he never had to meet, to be from places he needed to be in to affect their lives. Like the deities we never met in the beginning, he learned to create people that could be just as much helpful to others as he himself needed to be, and they have lives to live just as much as each and every one of you do."

"Even gods need to be like those that they want to help," Valeria expressed.

"Exactly."

"Can I ask a personal question?"

"Feel free."

"Meifon… She no longer has a deadline or expiration date, does she? I mean, she has a life like everyone else around her, but she's not going to die anytime soon, will she?"

"Are you familiar with the human condition? Anyone with a human lifespan that has limitations must do all that they can to live a full life; exercise, eat healthy, have a social circle of people that they trust, however they choose to live their lives. That's the life Meifon Li has now. She'll continue to grow up, grow old, go through the motions of emotions like everyone around her. And when she does succumb to her final day, which will be somewhere in the future on some random day, she'll reflect back on her past and know that her life had meaning."

"So…Meifon will be alright, then?" Duuz asked.

"That's right."

"Have you…lived a long time, regardless of what you have done in the past?"

"Mortality is not all that different from immortality if you know how to make it work for you. I have lived, I have died, and I lived again, a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. I have had to be many people in many places. A witness to the coming of Christ, an ally of Joan of Arc, a friend to the police forces, a primary meditator for relations between Terrans and the Rorgans, a potential possibility for a positive association with the Sith race, even a path to the future for Dragonites and LiEFs if need be."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"I live for this. To not do anything more for those in need…is to disgrace myself and those around me."

"You're dedicated to those that need a chance to live more."

"Until such a time where all of united and they can resolve their problems on their own, I will always be around. Here, out there, wherever I need to be."

-x-

Meifon had to wonder if she could even ask for such a request to be made. It would've been the most selfish and most selfless thing ever. But even she was unsure if this was possible…until she received the end result of her request, her desire.

Ulgen and Marcia, two people that died due to the actions of Leon Lau, brought back to life due to a request made to Mr. Lamia, and seeing that they were whole were all that Meifon really cared about.

"Meifon?" Marcia asked, feeling like she and her grandfather had been gone for a short time period. "Are we back?"

Meifon nodded that they were back.

"Leon Lau…or Goryu," went Ulgen, slightly disoriented, "is he…"

"Dead?" Meifon asked him. "He is."

"Are you…okay, Meifon?"

"I'm doing fine."

Even though it seemed like a mere dream, Meifon knew she wasn't dreaming. Even if a small part of her had desired Leon to be brought back, she couldn't forgive him for his past involvement with their respective deaths; he had murdered her uncle, his granddaughter…and herself, even though she was not the same as her template.

Except you're not a copy of your grandfather's granddaughter, she heard that same voice that encouraged her to go on living. You are your grandfather's granddaughter. Flesh is flesh, metal and wires are metal and wires, but the soul is pure, and it confirms all that is needed to know about you. You're alive. They're alive, too. Embrace life. There's no need to question it.

She looked over at Mr. Lamia, who seemed content with having done his job. He smiled at her and then walked away.

"Thank you," she told him, and he stopped, turned back to face her…and nodded his head in the positive, appreciating the compliment.

-x-

A few days went by, at least four, before the Links Group returned to their HQ on Oracion IV. Most people were surprised to find that Links Group was back in business, thinking that after Meifon Li left, the whole organization had been disbanded.

"Where did you guys go?" One of their new clients questioned, requesting their services against a possible attack in transporting their precious medical cargo to a satellite station.

"Just a…little getaway," expressed Kosei, thinking about how to plan his next date with Jesia. "Things were a bit hectic a couple of days ago."

"I believe that. Thank the gods for getaway periods."

"Yeah."

And it wasn't just the desires of the hearts of the Links Group that had been fulfilled to varying degrees. Because all they had as a means of transport was the Angel Links ship, Mr. Lamia was willing to finance the rebuilding of their second ship and the construction of another ship to help them in their service of providing free protection of other ships transporting people and cargo from space pirates. He didn't really have to do any of that, but he felt it was the right thing to do for a group like Links Group.

"It looks like we'll have five different cargo ships to safeguard against space pirates," Meifon stated as they prepared to launch the Angel Links back into space.

"Maybe it's a good thing that Mr. Lamia insisted on financing the reconstruction of our second ship and the construction of a third ship," Valeria suggested. "Three ships would be helpful."

"For once, I can't argue with that."

BLAST! Angel Links launched into space like it had many times before, off into the next adventure in the ocean of stars.

From a distance, Mr. Lamia, or rather, Brother Correction, smiled as the beautiful ship took off to do what the crew within did for a living.

"Live free," he uttered, "and fly free."

Around his feet on the rooftop he was standing on, several copies of Taffei, with varying colors, like blue, green and pink, ran around; he had planned on creating enough to seed them across the planetary systems where the Silgrians, Nayans and Corbonites resided. To him, the Angel Links looked like an angel lighting up the darkness. It was just beautiful, a savior for wandering souls lost in the vastness of space, shining light to guide them.

"Live free, Meifon Li," he told himself as he walked away with the Taffei duplicates. "Live free…and fly free."

All my soul

A/N: And there you have it. I'm glad I completed this story after starting on it after I had watched the Angel Links series. I'm happy that in this story, Meifon Li was granted a chance to live again, and that several people that were killed during the series were brought back because Brother Correction could bring them back to life. What do you think will happen in the future?